„"It is beautiful and sweet that we have such a compatriot. Undervalued, humiliated, but with a good heart. This person is worthy of mention. It was a completely different school. We need to learn from such personalities. May his spirit live on in us," said Romas Pačinskas, a member of the club "Knyginyčia", about the poet, playwright, actor and compatriot Kazys Inčiūras.

These words probably best described the afternoon dedicated to the 120th anniversary of the birth of K. Inčiūra, which took place on October 6 at the Regional Documents and Local History Department of the Anykščiai L. and S. Didžiuliai Public Library. A large group of Book Lovers Club „Knyginyčia“ and representatives of the Third Age University Readers„ Club “TAU” gathered for it. During the event, the writer was not only talked about – his work was read, remembered, and rediscovered.

A personality that encompassed the stage, literature, and life's challenges

K. Inčiūra (1906–1974) was a versatile personality: a poet, prose writer, playwright, actor, radio announcer and Gulag prisoner. Born in the village of Vidugiriai in the Anykščiai region, the creator studied Lithuanian language and literature at Vytautas Magnus University, graduated from the State Theater Acting Studio, created more than 30 roles in the theater, and worked as a radio announcer in Kaunas and Vilnius for about ten years. He wrote poems, short stories, dramas, and opera librettos and was considered one of the representatives of national romanticism. However, there were also painful trials in the life story of K. Inčiūra. Displeased with the Soviet authorities, the writer was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment and imprisoned in the camps of the Sverdlovsk region. Through the mediation of the writer Antanas Žukauskas-Vienuolis, the sentence was shortened. After five years of captivity, K. Inčiūra was allowed to return to his native land.

It was important for the afternoon participants not only to remember these biographical facts, but also to look at the person behind them.

Exhibition, publication and letters that preserved the human voice

The exhibition „Kazys Inčiūra: Stage Man and Writer“ was presented during the event. It displays K. Inčiūra’s books, poetry texts, articles in periodicals, photographs and other materials that allow us to get to know the creator better. Audronė Berezauskienė, head of the regional documents and local history department, shared her memories of the book „Memories of Kazīs Inčiūra“ published in the Anykščiai Public Library two decades ago, dedicated to the writer’s 100th birthday, which was celebrated at the time. This publication is like a portrait of K. Inčiūra composed of many voices. It publishes the memoirs of the poet’s nieces Aldona Inčiūraitė-Samuolienė and Irena Uzdrienė, stories by writers Kęstutis Arlauskas and Antanas Drilinga, and librarians’ memories of literary events held in Anykščiai, in which the poet participated. Particularly valuable are the letters of K. Inčiūra, written to library employees in 1967–1974. They reveal not only the creator's thoughts, but also his culture of communication, respect for people, books and culture. The publication also publishes articles by professor Aldona Prašmantaitė, long-time teacher of Lithuanian language and literature Ona Bartulytė, journalist Kristina Grabytė, and writers Milda Telksnytė and Vygandas Račkaitis, as well as other authors.

Memories that brought back the past

Romualda Bražėnienė, a member of the club „Knyginyčia“, recalled the time twenty years ago when she worked at the Anykščiai Public Library and the book „Memories of Kazīs Inčiūras“ was being prepared. She told how the librarians at that time carefully collected material, verified the facts of the writer’s life, and took care to preserve as many memories as possible for future generations.

R. Bražėnienė was pleased that her publication „Kazys Inčiūra, the Soul Artist Remembered in Vašuokėnai“ was included in this publication. At the event, she read the poet's verses about love for Lithuania.

During the meeting, all book lovers – members of the „Knyginyčia“ – read Kazys Inčiūra’s works. K. Inčiūra’s poems from the poetry collections „Stirnų šaltinų“ (1979), „Akmenys verkia“ (1996) and the publication „Nelaisvės psalmės“ (1997) were read. Reading his poems, one could feel not only the poet’s love for his native land, but also the inner strength of a person who had experienced captivity and humiliation.

„"I wanted to take off my shoes and walk through the dewy grass"“

The event was especially pleasantly complemented by personal memories. Photographer Alfredas Motiejūnas told how in 1984 he, together with the monument protection officers of the Anykščiai district, traveled around the villages and ended up in K. Inčiūra's native village of Vidugiris. "We entered the courtyard of Kazys Inčiūra's house and were greeted by a woman who lived in that house and looked after the museum," recalled the member of the "Knyginyčia" club. A. Motiejūnas still remembers the writer's desk, laden with books, the table lamp standing on it and his huge personal library. It seemed as if the owner had just gotten up from the table and left for a while. However, the photographer was most impressed by the homestead itself.

„"I wanted to take off my shoes and walk through the dewy grass. That place often comes to my mind," said A. Motiejūnas.

His memory was supplemented by club member Valentinas Genotis: "And I happened to be at the poet K. Inčiūra's funeral."„

Such details in the afternoon brought us closer to K. Inčiūras not only as a writer, but also as a person whose places of life, objects, and environment can still remain alive in the memory of other people.

Same poems – different voices

Librarians Edita Stiklinskaitė and Ligita Matulienė and Alma Valantinienė, a member of the club „Knyginyčia“, read the same poem by K. Inčiūra, „The Cry of the Homeland“. However, they sounded like different poems. In one version, more attention is paid to Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and Lithuania, in the other – to Anykščiai and gratitude to the writer Antanas Vienuolis-Žukauskas. Different versions of the texts encouraged the event participants to notice how a work can change, acquiring a different sound, accent and mood. E. Stiklinskaitė also presented a lesser-known side of K. Inčiūra’s life – the work of his mother Eleonora Rimavičiūtė-Inčiūrienė. She read the poems that were published in the interwar period in the weekly „Vienybė“ edited by her son.

An afternoon that didn't end when the exhibition doors closed

The meeting of the members of the club "Knyginyčia" and the club "TAU" was an event where books, poetry, local history and living memories of people came together. Speaking about K. Inčiūras, the participants of the event also remembered how much a library can preserve - books, letters, photographs, manuscripts, stories and even the human voice that has come down to us over several generations.

Over a cup of tea, the conversations about K. Inčiūras, his work and literature did not end for long. Those gathered enjoyed the fellowship, shared their thoughts and went home with new discoveries and once again felt that the culture of the region is alive as long as we remember it, read it and tell it to others.